Instant Pot Yogurt: Step by step directions for making yogurt in an electric pressure cooker. Includes directions for nonfat, full fat, and Greek yogurt. Also, ways to naturally sweeten yogurt. This is EVERYTHING you need to know about making Instant Pot Yogurt.
I am all about making things at home when I can.
I prefer to make fruit roll-ups, chicken stock, granola bars, and even rotisserie chicken.
However, making yogurt at home, never appealed to me--and frankly overwhelmed me.
I can purchase high-quality yogurt with simple, wholesome ingredients at every grocery store around me.
But I was intrigued to try my hand at making yogurt shortly after getting my Instant Pot--and let me tell you, I am so glad I gave it a try.
Instant Pot Yogurt
There are two reasons that I will no longer purchase yogurt at the store and make yogurt in my Instant Pot.
- Taste
- Cost
You guys, homemade yogurt is so much creamier and less tangy than store-bought yogurt. The first time my kids had homemade yogurt they asked if I put sugar in the yogurt. Nope just plain yogurt--just a less tangy. But man, they loved it. And so did I.
And the cost of making homemade yogurt is so much cheaper than store-bought yogurt. By making homemade yogurt you cut the cost in at least half!!!
Now that you are intrigued, let's get started.
Making yogurt at home is time-consuming, but NOT at all hard. With an instant pot, it is nearly fail-proof!
How to make Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt
Step One: Clean your Instant Pot.
- This sounds like a no-brainer. But I am not talking about simply washing your Instant Pot--you need to sanitize your inner pot.
- You can prepare your inner pot for making yogurt by pouring boiling water in the inner pot and then discard the water.
- This step can be skipped, but it helps drastically in the flavor of your yogurt--especially if you have been making a lot of Instant Pot Chili.
Step Two: Heat your Milk in your Instant Pot.
- Pour ½ gallon milk into the inner pot of your electric pressure cooker, and put the lid on the Instant Pot (vent can be sealed or not sealed in this function). Hit yogurt function and then the adjust button until it says Boil.
- When the Instant Pot beeps that it is done, remove the lid and test the temperature to be sure the milk has reached 180 degrees.
- I like to leave the inner pot in the Instant Pot for 5 minutes before removing it. This helps the yogurt thicken up a bit better.
Step Three: Cool the milk to approximately 105-115 degrees.
- Cooling the milk to this temperature takes about 1 hour if placed on the counter.
- I like to speed the process up by placing the inner pot into a large mixing bowl in ice water. This takes about 15-20 minutes.
Step Four: Remove the "skin" off the milk.
- Once your milk has reached the proper temperature, skim off the top layer of milk "skin" that has formed on top of the liquid.
- This helps to give you the creamiest of yogurts.
Step Five: Whisk in a yogurt starter.
- Use either prepared yogurt or a yogurt starter and whisk into your prepared milk.
- It is important to note that if using prepared yogurt you need to be sure it is plain yogurt with live and active cultures.
- If your starter is sweetened or does not have live cultures, making yogurt at home will NOT work!
Step Six: Allow your yogurt to Incubate.
- To finish making your yogurt, place your inner pot back in your Instant Pot with the lid on (again, it doesn't matter which way the valve is set).
- Hit the Yogurt button again button.
- Adjust until it reads 8:00 or 8 hours.
- Then let the Instant Pot do its thing.
Step Seven: Enjoy!
- Transfer to glass jars or a plastic container.
- Refrigerate and Enjoy!
How to Make Yogurt without a Yogurt Button
It is a bit harder to make yogurt without a yogurt button on a pressure cooker, but it is possible.
- It is a bit harder, but it is possible.
- Pour milk into the inner pot of the pressure cooker.
- Turn on the Sear/Saute function.
- Heat milk to 180°F. Use a thermometer to check the temp often and be sure to stir very often so the milk does not scorch.
- Once the milk reaches 180°F, turn off your pressure cooker.
- Remove the inner pot and cool it to 108 degrees.
- Once your milk has reached 108 stir starter yogurt and whisk until incorporated.
- Put inner pot back in instant pot and place lid on the pressure cooker.
- Wrap in a large towel, or two regular towels and incubate for at least 8 hours or 10 hours.
How to Make Greek Yogurt
- If you would like to make Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt, follow all the instructions for homemade yogurt.
- Once the yogurt is prepared, place a large strainer lined with cheesecloth over a large mixing bowl.
- You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your strainer.
- Allow the yogurt to drain in the strainer overnight.
- Scoop out the thick yogurt into containers to store and discard the cheesecloth.
What to do with the extra whey from the yogurt?
- You can either discard the whey or you can use it in smoothies, oatmeal, protein shakes, etc. It will be filled with protein and probiotics.
How to make Instant Pot Fat Free Yogurt
Can you use skim milk to make yogurt in your electric pressure cooker?
Yes, you can, with a few important tips.
- I have found for nonfat yogurt, 3 tablespoons of yogurt added to ½ gallon of milk works best.
- Nonfat yogurt will have quite a bit more liquid on the top than yogurt made with full or reduced-fat milk.
- Just carefully drain off the layer of liquid that forms on the yogurt and discard it.
- As nonfat yogurt sits, the liquid will begin to separate again, just mix it into the yogurt before serving.
How long does Homemade Yogurt last?
- Homemade yogurt should last for up to 10-14 days in your refrigerator.
- Be sure to save 2 tablespoons of your homemade yogurt to make your next batch.
How to Sweeten Homemade Yogurt
I have found homemade yogurt to be so much smoother and a bit sweeter than store-bought yogurt and simply enjoy it topped with fresh berries or homemade granola.
Homemade Vanilla Yogurt
- Make yogurt as directed.
- Mix in 1 tablespoon vanilla extract into prepared yogurt.
- This will flavor the yogurt without any added sweeteners.
**If you like your yogurt to be sweet, you can add in honey, maple syrup, or sugar adjusted to your desired level of sweetness. I would start with no more than ¼ cup, and increase by a tablespoon at a time.
A few tips for making yogurt at home
- I use 1 tablespoon of prepared yogurt for every quart of milk. Therefore for ½ gallon of milk, I whisk in 2 tablespoons of already prepared yogurt into my milk.
- You can cut this recipe in half if you would like. If you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, you can also double this recipe for homemade yogurt.
- Do NOT try to make homemade yogurt with flavored yogurt as your starter. You need to either use a yogurt starter or plain yogurt with active live cultures. How do you know if your store-bought yogurt has live cultures? The label on the yogurt will say Lactobacillus bulgaricus or Streptococcus thermophilus.
- A huge tip for making yogurt in the future is to FREEZE your starter immediately after fresh yogurt is made. I recommend using an ice cube tray. Each ice cube holds 1 tablespoon of yogurt so you will know exactly how much yogurt to defrost when making a new yogurt batch. Just be sure to thaw your yogurt cubes in the fridge to not alter the cultures in the yogurt.
- If you would like tangier yogurt, set an incubation period to 10 hours instead of 8 hours.
- If you need more tips on how to use your Instant Pot or are confused about some of the functions or pieces I mentioned, check out my Instant Pot 101.
- Get more easy, healthy instant pot recipes here.
Homemade Yogurt is great for:
- Yogurt Peanut Butter Dip
- 2 Ingredient Homemade Gogurts
- Peanut Butter Power Smoothie
- Skinny Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Skinny Spinach Artichoke Dip
How to make yogurt at home in an Instant Pot:
Homemade Yogurt
Ingredients
- ½ gallon milk
- 2 tablespoons prepared yogurt with cultures
Instructions
- Pour milk into inner pot of Instant Pot. Push yogurt button until the screen reads "boil." (Usually you will need to hit the yogurt button two times) This will take about an hour.
- Once the Instant Pot beebs that the boil cycle is complete, carefully remove the lid and test the temperature. It should be around 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Let inner pot sit in instant pot for 5 minutes and then remove inner pot.
- Allow the milk to cool to 105-115 degrees. This will take an hour on the counter top or about 15 minutes if you place your inner pot into an ice bath.
- Gently skim off the "skin" on the yogurt and discard.
- Whisk in the prepared yogurt.
- Place inner pot (be sure to dry off well if you had in ice bath),put lid on and press yogurt button again and then adjust until screen reads 8:00. (The pressure should also read normal--if it reads less, hit adjust again until normal is lit up.)
- Once the pressure cooker beeps that the yogurt cycle is complete, remove the inner pot from the inner pot and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 8 hours before transferring to individual containers or stirring the instant pot.
- Once refrigerated for 8 hours, you can strain the yogurt to prepare Greek yogurt and/or set some yogurt aside for future yogurt making. To make Greek yogurt, strain the yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth overnight in the fridge (be sure to place over a large mixing bowl while draining.)
Equipment Needed
Notes
- Instead of prepared yogurt as your starter, you can use a yogurt starter. Just follow directions to determine how much starter to add to ½ gallon milk (each brand is a bit different.)
- You can use any percentage of fat to make homemade yogurt.
- To make Greek yogurt, strain the yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth overnight in the fridge (be sure to place over large mixing bowl while draining.)
- Homemade yogurt should last for about 10-14 days.
- If sweetening yogurt, I have found it is best to add in sweeteners/vanilla after the yogurt has set up in the fridge for at least 8 hours, or after straining.
- If you find your milk is not reaching 180 degrees after the boil cycle, you can turn to saute function for a few minutes, watching VERY closely to help it reach to 180 degrees.
- Nutritional values are approximate and have been calculated using 2% milk. The serving size is approximately 4 ounces.
DRW
Instant Pot yogurt is great. A suggestion. Instead of boiling water and pouring it into your Instant Pot container to sanitize it, simply put a cup or two of water into the Instant Pot and set it for 3-4 minutes on manual setting, pressure high, with vent set to seal. Easy Peasy. The Instant Pot will come to pressure and sanitize the pot better than just pouring boiling water into it. When the sanitizing cycle is finished dump the water and then follow your excellent instructions for tasty yogurt.
Scotty
Sweetened ,flavored Greek yogurt works just fine as a starter as long as it has active cultures.
Kristen Chidsey
And there are no chunks of fruit 😉
Brittany
These are the best instructions I’ve found. And I’ve messed up 2 batches before. Thanks for this easy recipe! I’ve found that my yogurt BOIL only brings it to 175 or 177 degrees, so I always need to do a sauté function to bring it to 180. Also I always sanitize my IP and the measuring cup and spoon after reading this. I do this by adding water to the IP and putting the pressure on high for a few min. Makes so much sense. Thanks again!
Nancy James
I don't think I'll ever buy yogurt again. This is so delicious and easy! And the the skin you skim off the top? I put that in a separate bowl and eat it with fruit while it's warm and it's delicious! The first recipe I ever read said to use non homogenized, non ultra pasteurized whole milk which is what I've been using. Only one store has carried it and it was out the other day. Do you just use regular ultra pasteurized milk? Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you love this so much Nancy! I used regular pasteurized milk for this recipe, but ultra does work as well. And great idea to serve the skin with fruit. YUM!
Stephen G Dutton
Thanks so much for this yogurt recipe. It's the best I have found yet and it turned out flavorful and super creamy. I especially like your tip on freezing the starter. Also, I really appreciate the why of things. e.g. that skimming the top of the milk helps to make the yogurt creamier. Bravo!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoy this recipe along with my tips. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Pratham
Hello,
Thanks for the recipe. I got bubbles around the edges once my yogurt was done. I think only difference is I used lower volume of milk and starter, maybe half of what you used. Any suggestions what I should change?
Thank you
Kristen Chidsey
Hi there. A few bubble around the side of the inner pot are nothing to concern yourself with. Simply whisk into the yogurt after it has refrigerated for 8 hours and enjoy!
Hilda
Hello! I am so excited about trying the yogurt function on my Instant Pot!
This guide is just what I needed! Thank you so much!
Quick question, if I cut the recepy on half, do I also cut the cooking time? or it is still 8 hours?
Thanks again!!!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Hilda! Even when cut in half, the incubation time remains the same. I hope you enjoy!
Kristin
Hello,
I am planning on making this in my new Ninja Foodi! I'm wondering, after reading comments, would using organic milk and an organic yogurt starter effect the final result?
Could you make this with non dairy milk?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kristin! Organic milk and organic starter work great. As for non-dairy milk, I have only had success making Coconut Milk yogurt and that is a completely different process.
Ginger
I used raw milk able it didn't turn out well. It's runny and lumpy, still warm. Do you think it was because of the raw milk?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Ginger, I am sorry for your issues, but yes, it would be due to the raw milk.
Courtney
Did you take the cream off the raw milk first? That helped me!
Denis
For some reason my IP will not heat milk but to 165 - 175 degrees??
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Denis, some pots run cooler. I would hit saute and watch very closely, whisking constantly to reach 180 degrees.
Courtney
Thank you for this recipe. I used your exact measurements the first time and it turned out great. I have an 8 quart so I tried increasing it the 2nd time and the yogurt didn't seem to thickened up the same. Should I increase the 8 hour time or does that just change the tanginess? I may have just done something else incorrectly the 2nd time.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Courtney, incubating longer will only affect the tanginess. Be sure to add double the amount of starter and that your milk reaches 180 degrees and does not cool below 105 degrees.
Debbie
Do you have IP vent on open or closed?
Kristen Chidsey
It does not make a difference Debbie 🙂 I typically keep mine closed.
Bryan P
Decent. But who wants less-tangy yogurt? Meh! I want more tang so I go AT LEAST 12 hours and sometimes longer depending on the starter
Kristen Chidsey
And that is why making yogurt at home is the best--YOU get to control the tanginess.
Brenda B Perrault
I'm using a 6 qt duo instant pot to make my yogurt. Why does my pot show END instead of YOGT at the end of the 8 hrs. Every recipe I've seen says YOGT should show at end of the 8 hrs. My yogurt does turn out great. My husband and I both like the Greek yogurt and this pot makes it so easy.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Brenda! So glad the yogurt turned out well for you. May I ask what model IP you have? My guess is that is just based upon your model.
Brenda B Perrault
Thanks for replying quickly. I have an Instant Pot 6 qt Duo SS60.
Kristen Chidsey
Everything is working just fine!
Abbey
Hi! Thank you for such great instructions. I’ve made yogurt once before in the instant pot with great results. Do you happen to know if the yogurt would be safe to eat if the starter I used was from a batch that was 12 days old? No Mold, smells great, etc. I just saw the “freeze your starter” tip now. Great idea for the future. Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Abbey! It would be safe up to 2 weeks, but fo reculturing yogurt it may not be as effective as acidity levels may begin to change. Sorry.
Karen
I wasn’t sure what to expect but it is absolutely delicious. Creamy (I used 3% milk) and mild flavoured. (Yes I am Canadian 😃). I will definitely make it again!! Thank-you for your recipe, guidance and helpful tips.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Karen! So glad you enjoyed! And fun fact--I was born in Canada 🙂